Diocese of Canterbury facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Diocese of Canterbury Dioecesis Cantuariensis
Coat of arms
Flag
Location
Ecclesiastical province	Canterbury
Archdeaconries	Canterbury, Ashford, Maidstone
Coordinates	51°16′47″N 1°5′0″E / 51.27972°N 1.08333°E / 51.27972; 1.08333
Statistics
Parishes	231
Churches	327
Information
Cathedral	Canterbury Cathedral
Current leadership
Bishop	Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury
Suffragans	Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Bishop of Dover (pseudo-diocesan) Rob Munro, Bishop of Ebbsfleet (PEV) Bishop of Richborough (PEV; vacant)
Archdeacons	Will Adam, Archdeacon of Canterbury Darren Miller, Archdeacon of Ashford Andrew Sewell, Archdeacon of Maidstone
Website
www.canterburydiocese.org

The Diocese of Canterbury is a special area in the Church of England. It covers the eastern part of Kent, a county in England. This diocese was started a very long time ago, in the year 597, by St. Augustine of Canterbury. It is based at Canterbury Cathedral and is the oldest church area in the Church of England. Back in 1835, it was even known as the richest diocese in England!

Leaders of the Diocese

The main leader of the Diocese of Canterbury is the Archbishop of Canterbury. Right now, this is Justin Welby. He has a very big job! He is not only in charge of this diocese, but he is also the head of the whole Province of Canterbury. He is known as the "Primate of All England" and is the most important bishop in the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Because the Archbishop has so many important duties, he is often away from the diocese. So, another bishop, called a suffragan bishop, helps him out a lot. This is the Bishop of Dover, currently Rose Hudson-Wilkin. She acts almost like the main bishop for the diocese when the Archbishop is busy.

Other Bishops Who Help

From 1944 to 2009, there was another helper bishop called the Bishop of Maidstone. This role ended in 2010.

There are also two other special bishops, the Bishops of Ebbsfleet and Richborough. They are called provincial episcopal visitors (PEVs). This means they help churches in a wider area, not just in this diocese.

Some retired bishops also help out in the diocese. They are called honorary assistant bishops. They include:

• Michael Turnbull, who used to be the Bishop of Durham and Rochester. He lives in Sandwich.
• Richard Llewellin, who used to work for the Archbishop at Lambeth Palace and was also a Bishop of Dover. He lives in Canterbury.
• Graham Cray, who used to be the Archbishops' Missioner and Team Leader for new church ideas. He lives in Harrietsham.

How the Diocese is Organized

To help manage everything, the Diocese of Canterbury is split into three main parts called Archdeaconries. These archdeaconries are then divided into smaller areas called deaneries. Inside each deanery, there are many parishes, which are local church communities. The diocese has 202 parishes in total.

Here is how the diocese is structured:

See also

• John Wallis Academy — a school in Ashford that the diocese helps to support.